an escape from reality

Category Archives: General writings

As the work week comes to an end, I’m taking time to ponder about everything I have learned so far in my public relations career. At the beginning, I was stressed, and maybe a little crazy. Now that I’ve had time to familiarize myself with public relations as a whole, I can think clearer. What have I learned? I’ll share just a few things with you because I’m on a deadline.

Deadlines
They’re important. Make them, keep them and don’t forget about them. Planners are a must-have.

Prioritize
In any given day (specifically Monday) you’ll have at least 50 things on your to-do list. Don’t freak out! This is not the time to freak out. Instead, take a few deep breaths, make a list, and start prioritizing. Press release vs. trade article due next week? Urgent emails vs. blog posts? You know what do to.

Look up from your computer
Sometimes, I’ll go four or five hours without looking out the window in front of me. On the 10th floor, we have a gorgeous view of downtown and I don’t want to take it for granted. Look up and look out- today is a beautiful day and it doesn’t revolve around your planner and keyboard.

Talk to people
In public relations, you talk to ten to fifteen to fifty people a day- all with different needs and very different personalities. Every conversation is important, but some of the most important conversations take place with the people you work with. Whether it’s a coffee break or a lunch date, taking time out of your day to talk with people who work in the same industry as you will keep you smiling, all the way until next Friday.

November. A new month has arrived, however, I feel as though it’s a new year.

I feel I have grown the most in 2014. My goals, my inner happiness, my relationships, my love for the world and others, has grown exponentially. Usually on Sunday nights I would lay in bed stressed about Monday morning, but as I sit here calmly, completely in the moment, I know I am no longer the person I used to be. I look forward to what is ahead of me, and I no longer look at my past with regret; only for guidance.

Is this what it means to grow older? If so, I am looking forward to all of my upcoming years. xx

I’ve become quite tired during the evenings, yet I must still find my strength to write. Colorado photos must be sorted through for they are far too beautiful not to share, as well as photos of the Stanley Hotel!

This year I told myself I would travel more, and I feel as though I have not let myself down. I don’t need to travel across the country, traveling to any new destination, whether it’s 96 or 1,256 miles away, I long for it all.

New rivers, new trees, new emotions.

This weekend I plan on going about 90 miles outside of my city to a town I’ve never ventured to. My best friend and I will spend a day and night in nature. My camera shall be loaded with film (or just fully charged) and my mind will be free of all woeful thoughts.

Sometimes I feel as though I am mindlessly floating through life. I don’t appreciate everything around me, all of the small details that we’ve grown numb to because they are such a constant present in my life. On a very deep level, I want to have an understanding and appreciation for all of what I do, all of what I think, and all that happens about me from those actions. Even right now as I lay in bed typing this blog post, I am paying closer attention to the feeling of my fingers against the keyboard, the soft touch of the blankets upon my skin and the sounds coming from the speaker- every instrumental producing a sound that seeps into my mind, causing emotions to arise.

It was on October 1 that I first began to truly think about this. I was getting my hair cut and all I was thinking about was 1. how my hair was going to look when the process was over and 2. what I was going to do when I exited the salon. Somehow I stopped these thoughts, these future thoughts that kept me from enjoying the present, and I began to open my eyes (metaphorically). I watched closely as my hairdresser’s fingers took my strands of hair and watched as they fell to the floor. It was beautiful, the sun reflecting off the color of my hair.

I was aware of the day, the time, the moment. Truly living in the present. People say the days go by quickly, the years fly by and before you know it, you’re looking in the mirror and your no longer the age you once were. I believe this can happen, but I also believe it doesn’t have to. Not if everyday you stay in the present, and reflect on all that you do. Our world is so fast paced, to the point where it nearly disgusts me. We feel as though we can’t stop- we must have our phone in our hand, our mind somewhere else- anywhere but here- always keeping ourselves away from what’s happening in front of us. I want to understand it all, and I don’t want to wake up one day and wonder what happened to the past five years of my life. I want to know.

As October rapidly approaches, so does my excitement for American Horror Story: Freak Show. The fourth installment to this show that forever altered the way I think about horror on prime time TV, will premiere on October 8 on FX. While the first season still holds a special place in my heart (it’s actually paused on Netflix right now as I write this post), I hope this season will be equally shocking.

I just watched The Fault in Our Stars, and I cried, probably about four or five times. Whenever movies dive into such deep waters, where the pains are pains I have been lucky enough not to feel, I feel renewed, recharged, awakened. The thoughts I had previously about day to day worries disintegrate under the light of something so much greater. And I know it was a movie, but movies like this don’t pass through me as soon as the curtain rises. They stay with me for a while, and I’m thankful for all that I wasn’t so acutely aware of before. Thankful for my health and the health of those I love.

The movie was beautiful, I truly enjoyed it, and all of the actresses and actors were wonderful. Too wonderful.

This September, my family and I are traveling to Colorado for vacation, Estes Park to be more exact. Estes Park is home to the Stanley Hotel, the hotel where Jack Torrance lost his mind, threw his sobriety out the window and attempted to kill his entire family. Ahhhh, the Shining! The hotel where the forever entertaining and terrifying movie was shot. I could not be more excited to visit this infamous hotel. I love Stephen King and The Shining is by far my favorite novel/movie. Let the daydreaming begin.
See you soon, Jack. xx